Did Foreign Pressure Make Ship Turn Back?
By LALIT K JHA
WASHINGTON — Pressure from Burma’s key neighbors including India, China and members countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) could have persuaded the military junta not to be associated with North Korean nuclear activities at this point of time. The controversial North Korean ship heading for Burma may have been turned around as a result.
N Korea Using Malaysian Bank for Burmese Weapons Deals: Yonhap
By ARKAR MOE
North Korea sought payment through a bank in Malaysia for a suspected shipment of weapons to Burma being carried on a freighter tracked by the US Navy, according to a source quoted by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Suspected North Korean Ship Returns Home
By ARKAR MOE
A South Korean official reported on Tuesday that the North Korean vessel, Kang Nam I, which the U.S. Navy had been tracking because it was suspected of carrying illicit cargo, had probably arrived back home, according to a report by the Associated Press on Tuesday.
US Ban Related to N Korea-Burma Arms Deal
By ARKAR MOE
The United States took steps on Tuesday to curtail what it sees as North Korea's ability to trade in missiles and nuclear materials, with the Treasury and State Department announcing actions against two North Korean companies, one of which is allegedly connected to the Burmese arms industry.
Japanese Police Block Suspected Missile Technology Exports for Burma
By ARKAR MOE
Japanese police arrested three top businessmen on Monday on suspicion of attempting to export to Burma a measuring instrument that could be used to develop long-range ballistic missile systems, Japanese newspapers reported.
Burmese Internet Users Share Video, Documents about North Korea
By MIN LWIN
Amid revelations about recent secret meetings between Burmese and North Korean leaders and growing concerns that the two countries may be cooperating in illegal weapons programs, a video showing the 1983 bombing of the Martyr’s Mausoleum in Rangoon has attracted strong interest among Burmese Internet users.
NKorea Ship 'Turned Around'
By KWANG-TAE KIM / AP WRITER
SEOUL — A North Korean ship under scrutiny for more than a week by the US Navy has changed course and was heading back the way it came, US officials said as Pyongyang warned Wednesday it will take military action if anyone attempts to search its vessels.
North Korea Can Allay Fear at Regional Forum
By MIN LWIN
North Korea should explain its relations with Burma at ARF meet in Phuket, Thailand.
Closer Burma-N Korea Ties a Serious Cause for Concern (Commentary)
By YENI
Recent evidence of the closer relationship between Burma and North Korea exposes the complete failure of the Burmese regime’s diplomacy and foreign policy in the face of increasing pressure by international and regional governments.
A Visit to North Korea’s Arms Factories (Slide Show)
By THE IRRAWADDY
The Burmese junta’s No 3, Gen Thura Shwe Mann, made a secret, seven day visit to North Korea last November, apparently with a shopping list for arms and sophisticated weapons systems.
US Will Not Use Force to Inspect NKorean Ship
By KWANG-TAE KIM / AP WRITER
The United States will not use force to inspect a North Korean ship suspected of carrying banned goods, an American official was quoted as saying.
Tunnel Construction Pictures Spark Questions
By MIN LWIN
Questions have been raised about what’s shown in some photographs posted on news Web sites recently regarding whether they show tunnel construction for military use or for hydropower projects.
NKorea Warns of 'Fire Shower of Nuclear' Attack
By JAE-SOON CHANG / AP WRITER
North Korea condemned a recent US pledge to provide nuclear defense of South Korea, saying that the move boosts its justification to have atomic bombs and invites a potential "fire shower of nuclear retaliation."
Likely Destination of N Korean Ship Often Used for Weapons Deliveries
By MIN LWIN
The Myanmar International Terminals Thilawa (MITT), believed to be the destination of the Kang Nam 1, a North Korean cargo ship being tracked by the US Navy, has often been used for deliveries of weapons.
N. Korean Engineers Assist Burmese Tunneling Projects (Slide Show)
By THE IRRAWADDY
North Korean engineers are helping Burma build tunnel complexes, not only in and around the capital, Naypyidaw, but at other strategic locations. The Irrawaddy has come into the possession of a series of photographs illustrating the extent of the North Korean involvement.
Burma Denies Knowledge of North Korean Vessel’s Destination
By THE IRRAWADDY
Burma's state-owned media announced that it had “no information” on the North Korean- flagged cargo ship Kang Nam 1 being tracked by a US warship while reportedly enroute to a port near Rangoon.
Burma Bans North Korea Ship News
By AUNG THET WINE
Burma’s military-controlled censorship board has banned all journals and magazines from publishing news about a North Korean ship which will soon dock near Rangoon and is believed to be carrying arms for Burma.
Suspicious N. Korean Ship to Dock in Burma Soon
By MIN LWIN
A 2,000-ton North Korean cargo ship will dock at Thilawa port, 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Rangoon, in the next few days, an official at Thilawa port authority told The Irrawaddy on Monday.
NKorean Cargo Ship Could Test New UN Sanctions
By HYUNG-JIN KIM
An American destroyer was tailing a North Korean ship suspected of transporting weapons toward Burma, as anticipation mounted that the North could soon conduct short-or medium-range missiles tests.
Asia’s ‘Axis of Evil’ Flexes Its Muscles
By AUNG ZAW
Burma’s burning ambition to acquire modern missile technology and to upgrade its conventional weapons is no longer a secret, and if left unchecked, could pose a destabilizing threat to regional stability.
Kang Nam Could Hold a Message, not just Arms (Commentary)
By YENI
The mystery voyage of a North Korean ship believed to be carrying arms for Burma could hide an attempt by the Burmese regime to discover just how far the US and its allies would go to carry out the “stop and search” provisions of a new United Nations resolution.
'North Korean Ship Carries Weapons'
By HYUNG-JIN KIM / AP WRITER
A North Korean-flagged ship under close watch in Asian waters is believed to be heading toward Burma carrying small arms cargo banned under a new UN resolution, a South Korean intelligence official said.
Suspicious N. Korean Ship to Dock in Burma Soon
By MIN LWIN
ship that could be carrying missiles or nuclear weaponry will enter a Burmese port near Rangoon in a few days.
Mystery Surrounds North Korean Tunnel-building in Burma (Interview)
North Korea has been helping Burma build an extensive network of tunnels in its new capital, Naypyidaw, and in Shan State, as an underground shelter for the government and “for other unknown purposes,” according to the Burma expert and author Bertil Lintner.
Where Pariah States Meet (News Analysis)
By WAI MOE
It is arguable whether democratic countries are currently working together in a spirit of cooperation to protect global human rights; however it is quite clear that two of the world’s pariah states are united in protecting each other’s interests.
Burma, North Korea Sign Visa Agreement
By WAI MOE
Burma and North Korea have signed documents to eliminate visas for diplomats and government officials, a Burmese state-run newspaper reported in Nov 2008.
Renewed Burma-N Korea Relations Draws US Attention
By LALIT K JHA
US State Department said that the restoration of diplomatic ties between Burma and North Korea would not change the image of these two countries in the eyes of the US.
Burma Re-establishes Diplomatic Ties with North Korea
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Burma and North Korea, two of Asia's most repressive regimes, signed an agreement Thursday to resume diplomatic ties during a visit to Burma by the North Korean vice foreign minister, an official said.
Burma to Establish Official Ties to North Korea
By AUNG ZAW
News agencies have reported that a senior North Korean official is scheduled to arrive in Burma’s capital this week to normalize ties between the two countries. April 23 2007.
Status of North Korean Terror Prisoner May Change
By HTET AUNG
The status of Rangoon’s longest-held foreign prisoner could change if the general in Napyidaw resume diplomatic ties with North Korea, as is widely anticipated.
Burma, North Korea Top Issues at Asean Security Meeting
By SCOTT NEUMAN/AP WRITER
Asean opened a key security meeting, burdened by the lack of progress toward democracy in Burma, fading prospects for hosting talks on North Korea and concern over fighting in the Middle East.
Burma Allows North Korean Cargo Ship in Distress to Enter Port
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Burma permitted a North Korean cargo ship in distress to anchor at a port over the weekend, but found no cargo violating UN sanctions during an inspection of the vessel, the Foreign Ministry said.
N Korea Slams US, Japan, S Korea as Greatest Threats
By JIM GOMEZ/AP WRITER
Reclusive North Korea accused the US, Japan and South Korea of being Asia's biggest security threats and pledged to give up its nuclear weapons if they dismantle missiles aimed at it, in a document submitted to a regional security forum.
N Korean Ship Docks in Burma
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A cargo ship from North Korea docked in Burma o¬n Sunday in what was believed to be the first port call by a ship from the Communist nation since the two countries agreed last month to resume diplomatic relations.
19 North Koreans Arrested at Thai-Burmese Border
By SAW YAN NAI
Burmese authorities at the frontier town of Tachilek have arrested a group of 19 North Koreans trying to reach neighboring Thailand.
Burma, North Korea Sign Visa Agreement
By WAI MOE
Burma and North Korea have signed documents to eliminate visas for diplomats and government officials, a Burmese state-run newspaper reported.
Burma, N. Korea Follow Different Foreign Policy Paths
By WAI MOE
Burmese Foreign Minister met his North Korean counterpart in Pyongyang on Monday—a diplomatic event that disguised the different foreign policy directions taken recently by the two countries.
Burma's FM Makes First Visit to North Korea in 25 years
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Burma's foreign minister visited North Korea, an official said, more than a year after two of the world's most repressive governments resumed diplomatic ties.
